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Black Distressed Table Makeover

Black Distressed Table Makeover by The Thinking Closet

This would be an opportune time to grab a snack, a cozy blanket, and perhaps silence your cell phone.  Why?  Because it’s story time, folks.  Gather ’round for…

The Story of The Old Chair, The New Chair, & The Girl | The Thinking Closet

Once upon a time, there was an old chair.  And there was a girl who sat in the old chair.  But because it was an old chair, an old folding chair, it was an uncomfortable chair.  It made her back hurt and ache.

The Story of The Old Chair, The New Chair, & The Girl | The Thinking Closet

When the girl sat in the old chair, time dragged.  She would yawn and look at her watch.  She abandoned any attempt at good posture and even started to wonder if she’d ever enjoy sitting in chairs again.

The Story of The Old Chair, The New Chair, & The Girl | The Thinking Closet

One dreary day, after the girl had just started to nod off, a new chair suddenly appeared from the land of Craigslist.  It looked like a good chair, a sturdy chair, a chair that matched her IKEA expedit shelves and rug to a T!  It seemed too good to be true, so she tested the waters with a few trepidatious touches.  The seat was soft to the touch!   Then, the girl almost thought she heard the new chair whisper, “Come on over!”

The Story of The Old Chair, The New Chair, & The Girl | The Thinking Closet

The girl crept over from the old chair to the new chair.  As she lowered herself down, she waited to feel uncomfortable, bored, and tired…but none of those feelings came.  Could it be?  Could it be that this new chair brought promise of something…more?  Something…better?

The Story of The Old Chair, The New Chair, & The Girl | The Thinking Closet

Sure enough, this new chair made the girl feel great!  It was comfortable, it provided plenty of back support, and the fact that it matched her living room furniture was icing on the cake.  The girl couldn’t contain her excitement any longer.  She even started dancing a little jig in her new chair!

The Story of The Old Chair, The New Chair, & The Girl | The Thinking Closet

The girl busted out singing, “I’m so excited, and I just can’t hide it!”  And the thought crossed her mind that this would be the perfect opportunity to recreate the Flashdance water scene…but then she thought better of it.  At last, the girl embraced the new chair and declared her loyalty to it forevermore.  Now, she just had to find a table to match….

The Story of The Old Chair, The New Chair, & The Girl | The Thinking Closet

I hope you enjoyed the story of The Old Chair, The New Chair, & The Girl as much as I did acting it out.

The story continues.

We “found” a new table in our very own house, in fact!  Mark and I decided to give our old wooden Target table a makeover to match the black distressed look of our new chairs.

The old table had a lot of distress of its own.  A chipped corner…water stains….nail polish remover stains…iron damage (don’t ask)….  Although I used it as a surface on which to photograph many of my projects, there were only a few spots that I could photograph that were free of blemishes and didn’t require major photo editing in post-production.  It was time.

Black Distressed Table Makeover - BEFORE - The Thinking Closet

We were inspired by a video tutorial created by Sarah Macklem from The Yellow Cape Cod and used a lot of her tips for re-doing ours.  If you’re interested in achieving this same look with one of your pieces, I highly recommend checking it out.

Here’s photo documentation of our table’s journey from drab to fab.

Black Distressed Table Makeover - SAND - The Thinking Closet

Black Distressed Table Makeover - First Coat of Black Paint - The Thinking Closet

Black Distressed Table Makeover - Light Sanding - The Thinking Closet

Black Distressed Table Makeover - Second Coat & Distressing - The Thinking Closet

Black Distressed Table Makeover - Finishing Touches - The Thinking Closet

And now, the grand reveal of our finished black distressed table:

Black Distressed Table Makeover - The Thinking Closet

Black Distressed Table Makeover - The Thinking Closet

Black Distressed Table Makeover - The Thinking Closet

I have to credit Mark with carrying out the bulk of this project.  I really only helped out with the fun part: distressing the edges.  Here are a few tips & tricks we have to offer in case you decide to tackle a similar technique in your own furniture re-dos.

Tips & Tricks:

  • When you choose a table or furniture piece, make sure that it sits level with no wobble.  Fix these problems prior to all following steps.
  • In retrospect, rather than using an orbital sander for the first sanding step (removing the finish), use a sanding block.  It’ll leave a smoother finish.  Sand in the direction of the grain.
  • Before each round of paint or finish, wipe the table down with a damp cloth to rid the surface of dust.
  • In between the two coats of your protective finish, allow the table to dry completely.
  • Be intentional about your brush choices.  We used a bristle brush with the black paint because we wanted it to look hand-done and a sponge brush with the protective finish for smoothness.

And when put all together, our newly made-over table and our Craigslist chairs look like they were M.F.E.O.  Aw….

Black Distressed Table Makeover - The Thinking Closet

Black Distressed Table Makeover - The Thinking Closet

Black Distressed Table Makeover - The Thinking Closet

And to think…it all started with, “Once upon a time, there was an old chair.”

Dear reader, how do your furniture makeover project stories start?  What is your “Once upon a time”?

{Linking up here and with East Coast Creative’s Creating with the Stars Link Up.}

This is Lauren, signing off.

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114 Comments

  1. Help! I just painted a desk a dark purple. I was previously stained, so I primed it before painting. I’m now trying to distress it, and a lot of the white primer is showing through instead of just the wood. I want it to look like your black table! How would I get rid of those white edges?
    Thanks in advance.

    1. Might be tricky…when I repainted this table gray and distressed the edges, I had the light wood AND black paint underneath showing through. Might be tedious, but could you add some purple to cover the white? If I were you, though, I’d just embrace it as part of the natural distressed look! Best of luck, Tina.

  2. I see you used Behr paint on this table. What type of paint, was it? And what was the color name?
    Loved how it turned out!

    1. Sorry for the delay in getting back to you, Kristie! I’m so glad to hear that you liked it. In fact, we liked it so much, we recently redid a buffet with the same technique (will share a post on it soon). You can see a picture of the paint type here. And the color wasn’t anything special: just flat, matte black (base 1753). The key to really making this pieces special was the stain pen, though! That little guy worked wonders. Let me know if you have any other questions, and if you end up doing a similar technique, I’d love to see pics!

  3. I can’t believe I missed this post from over a month ago. It’s so creative…from the old chair, the new chair, and the girl to the “new” distressed table. It looks fabulous with your new craigslist chairs. Can’t wait to see it in person!

    1. I’m so happy you found it! Yes, the table and chairs anxiously await your visit. Maybe we’ll play a game atop it and definitely share a meal. Right now, we have a game of Small World sprawled out on it.

  4. What a beautiful chair/table combo!! Go craigstlist, target, and a whole lot of creativity and elbow grease from Lauren and Mark! You rescued that table from its “distress” and brought it into land of the beautiful and inviting! Of course, there’s no doubt my favorite part was the story of “the old chair, the new chair, and the girl.” Love those side leg kicks! And I’m just so glad that girl could finally enjoy sitting in some chairs again.

    1. Lol. Yes, you’ve definitely seen those side leg kicks before! 😉 The Girl is quite relieved to enjoy sitting in chairs…although right now she is sitting on the couch! Ha ha.

      Glad you like the chair/table combo move. Looking forward to a day soon and very soon when we can share food and conversation while sitting in those chairs and at the table. It can’t come soon enough!

  5. Your too funny~ Love the shabby black, nice change when all you see is light colors these days~ Thanks for linking up and sharing last week on Made in a Day!
    Kim

    1. I think the black works well because it’s in a room with light blue walls and lots of light. So, it’s a piece that pops instead of getting lost in the darkness…if that makes sense. Thanks for the kind words, Kim!

  6. Your table and chairs look Fabulous! I love the look! Well Done!

    You asked a question at the end of your post, about how did our project story begin….
    So, I can tell you the beginning of my project story, but he end is still a few months out!

    It goes something like this:
    An old lady had a side board, with shutter doors.
    Then she found a pair of regular shutters.
    But once she found another pair of items with ‘shutters’, a real idea was born.
    There is a ‘big’ build in her near future.
    Along with paint.
    And distressing.
    Once complete, the idea will be a unique reality……

    To Be Conitnued: in a few months(hopefully less but lots going on here!), on my Blog! http://diygranny.blogspot.com
    You won’t want to miss the end of this story!

      1. I just posted a botched paint job on a twin headboard that might help you get through till the shutter project gets done! I am so embarrassed and frustrated! LOL Maybe it will get donated to a needy family! Sooo many goofs, and sooo many new questions as I learn to do this right! (And the footboard might never be seen on the world wide web! haha!

        http://diygranny.blogspot.com

        1. Bless your heart. I think it’s definitely salvageable! Don’t give up. I think it’s great that you shared your “craft fail” on your blog…way to keep it real. And I know that in the end, you’ll have a real sense of accomplishment over this piece considering what you’ve learned and grown from.

          I can’t help but think of this quote from Batman, “Why do we fall, Master Wayne? So we can learn to pick ourselves up.” (Anything said in a British accent sounds wise to me.)

          1. Love Batman! And English Accents!
            You are so kind and encouraging! The headboard has been waxed, so I think I am done with it. I was going to try to say that this is all how I wanted it to look, but I couldn’t bring myself to be so dishonest! Now I am scared just a bit at the thought of tackling something bigger!

            Now that I think about it, no harm in doing the foot board darker! As in straight Sea Green. Frame of the bed will be black, so basically a 3 tone bed. hmmmm

          2. Hey, sometimes my mistakes help me go back to the drawing board and come up with something even better than plan A! I hope that the same is true for you. A 3 tone-bed could be verrrrrry interesting!

    1. Aw…thanks, Sue! I actually saw your mention of my post in the comments of Tidy Mom, and I was so flattered to receive your comment here. Can’t wait to see how yours turns out. We’re really lovin’ the distressed look. And if you make a mistake or the furniture gets a gash in it…just chock it up to more “distressing”! 😉

  7. You are featured this week on Busy Monday at A Pinch of Joy! I hope you will stop by and grab a Featured Button from the Button Box on the sidebar this afternoon. Pinned. Can’t wait to see what else you’ve been working on!

  8. I really do not know what I love more, your chair “story” or the actual painted project. Hahahaha. Your delivery is one of you best qualities..beyond awesome! On to a more serious note, the black distressed job is amazing. It really looks fantastic, and I love the idea of using the brown wood pen to darker then edges. Super smart and the final result is fantastic!
    btw, total side note but I went into deep Oviedo yesterday and there are actually some descent thrift shops in their little downtown. A lot of them are antique shops and I feel are overpriced, but there are also a couple of true thrift shops. The one I felt had the best prices/stuff was Sonshine Thrift Store off Broadway, just thought I’d mention! I know its a little further hike for you, but if you’re ever more that way its one to put on the list. Have a super great weekend Lauren!

    1. Ha! I know exactly how you feel, Christina! I think I had more fun with the chair story myself…tee hee.

      Yeah, that stain pen worked wonders! I’m so glad we learned about that and put it into action. Saved a lot of extra work wiping up stain that went beyond the edges. Gave just the look we were going for.

      And I’m DELIGHTED to hear about your successful thrifting / antiquing trip to Oviedo. That gives me hope! And I don’t mind the bit of a hike…anything for thrifting! We totally have to meet up and hit up some of these shops together sometime. After seeing your amazing room designs, I know I can learn a lot from you, girl!

  9. I LOVE the table makeover. Just wonderful. I used to do a lot of furniture makeovers when I was younger. This inspires me to want to get back into doing it again. 🙂

    1. Fun is my middle name…or at least, it should be! I write in my syllabi for my students that “We will have the maximum amount of fun allowable by law, so bring your sense of humor to class.” Maybe I should add that to my blog’s “About” page, too! Now, you’ve got me thinkin’, Pam….

      1. I think that is an amazing idea! Definitely should be in your About page!!! :O) I also look for fun and things to enjoy every day! So your blog has been one of my favorites these last few months. I am trying my hand at my first ever link party, please consider linking this up this weekend at The Patriotic Pam. I know my viewers would LOVE this project too! Hope to see you there!
        Pam :O)

    1. Yay! Thanks for being the first person to indulge me in my request for a “Once upon a time.” I’m totally and utterly captivated by this story starter. Now, I HAVE to click over to read your post to hear what happens next!

      Thanks, girlfriend.

  10. Such a cute post. Love the timeline photos. I redid my dining room table a few years ago in creamy white, but seeing this makes me wanna reconsider! I’m digging the black – super beautiful! Thanks for the inspiration!

    Jen @ Noting Grace

    1. What a kind compliment! Thank you, Jen! And thankfully, our living room has a lot of light, so the black seems to work well (and not make the room feel too dark). But creamy white has its own lusciousness to it! Will have to scour your blog to find a photo of your table makeover…. 😉

    1. Glad to know you share my sense of humor, Rachel! (Although, I think I already knew that.) Never even heard of a stain pen before checking out Sarah Macklem’s video tutorial. That tip is all hers! 🙂

  11. I love this! The series of chair photos put a smile on my face 🙂 Your finished table and chairs are beautiful… love the distressed edges.

    I’d be thrilled if you’d link up at this week’s Off the Hook!

  12. Lauren, I love it, I love it! 🙂 & I did enjoy reading your post a lot + you are so funny with the story about your chair ha!ha! I love how it turned out, the tutorial was great too! You know back in January I painted my brown IKEA table in white but I still need to protect it, we haven’t done it because I did it in my dining room with the windows opened but now the weather is worst here, so told hubby I would wait until March to do it! I can’t wait to finish it, it’s a project I took on without hubby’s help; he just kept on looking me all weird! ha!ha! (he didn’t want a white table) I love your pen stain you used for the edges: great look! 🙂 I’m afraid mine looks so white and plain now compared to yours! 🙂

    1. Aw…white and plain can be quite nice sometimes, though…and it can really be a great backdrop for a fun centerpiece or splash of color in table linens. I’m eager to see it when it’s all finished! And I bet that was empowering to take that project on yourself. Way to go, girl!

    1. Well, that works out great because you’re becoming one of my favorite peeps ever, and I stalk check your blog now every day to see what wonderfulness you’ve posted. I can tell I’ve found a kindred spirit blogger in you! Eek!

    1. Ha ha! Yes, chunky is a great word to describe them. We were looking for something that would stand the test of time. The chairs were handmade, but Mark confirmed a solid construction.

      And I saw on your blog, Gretchen, that you’ve done a furniture makeover, too! I love the brown wood peaking out from beneath that gray paint. I think you distressed that side table just right.

    1. You’re too kind, Brittany! I so enjoyed my visit over to Hint of Hess earlier today. You’ve got quite the DIY skills, I must say. That IKEA door turned wall display/command center – – too cool.

    1. Thanks for explaining K.I.R., Kelly. I’m a bit slow on acronyms sometimes, so it would have taken me a while. Ha ha, you’re too funny. Sorry for the let down. Maybe in a future post, I can make it happen! (And maybe outdoors.) 😉

  13. our first kitchen table i painted black and distressed too! our current one we built from scratch and then stained and painted it! i love me some good DIY

    1. Thanks for the sweet words, Carissa! I spied your current one on your blog and it is loverly! We’re huge fans of whitewashed wood (our bedroom is a testament to that). And I’m with ya – DIYing is so gosh darn rewarding, isn’t it?

  14. Lauren, you’re making me feel like a slacker. I’ve had “paint my kitchen table” on my To Do list for 2 years. You did that and a fun photo montage. Goodness woman! Way to kick me off my winter coffee drinking, tv watching, Canadian is it gardening season self off my couch! I’m totally joking. It’s looking great!!! Lot of good work went into that.

    1. Well, if it makes you feel any better, the chips and water stains and nail polish remover stains and iron stains have been on our table for over a year…so, it was high time. We NEEDED to get more chairs because we’re hosting small group at our house this week, and if we didn’t, folks would be sitting on the floor. So, the new chairs were my impetus for getting the ball rolling on the table. And I’m on my butt on the couch right now, as I type. Have I done laundry or emptied the dishwasher or gone to the gym yet, like I wanted to? Nope! 🙂 So, you’re in good company, my friend!

  15. This is a gorgeous table makeover! You did in excellent job with all facets of this post: the distressing, the tutorial, the story telling, etc…, all with just enough theatrical quirkiness to keep me enthused! I love the ‘Flashdance’ reference, having seen the broadway production on Valentine’s day. So thrilled for you! The match is just perfect, but in an imperfectly, distressed way.

    1. I knew you’d appreciate the theatrical quirkiness, Christine! You’re my musical theatre maven. How awesome that you got to see Flashdance on Broadway on V-Day! I knew you were going to see some theatre with the gals, but didn’t know it was that show. Was it a touring production gearing up for New York? Bet that was fun! Especially from a dancer’s perspective. Did they manage to do the water scene justice?

      Ha ha, and perfectly imperfect was just the sort of look we were going for! 🙂

      1. The ‘water scene’ was perfection. The ending ‘dance audition’ was better than the movie, as was much of the show (from a dancer’s/choreographer’s perspective). I highly recommend the show. I saw the touring company in Baltimore at the Hippodrome. Great show! Also, the 80’s dance and stripper costumes do not leave much to the imagination, so any significant other would not mind attending. A bit of eye candy for all. 😉

        1. That’s great that you found the dancing/choreography to be so on point (pun unintended, but I’ll take it!). Though, I would expect nothing less from a Broadway tour. Hope it makes it to NYC!

  16. Loved the story and the pics! ~ You really made the project come alive & it was so adorable! You and Mark are the perfect Project Team … MFEO Look forward to
    breaking in the new table with a few rounds of Eucher, get ‘er dry by Friday!

    1. Aw…yes, I agree that we were M.F.E.O. 🙂

      The table is dry and ready for euchre on Friday! We can’t wait for the boat tour and time together with you and Dad. “I’m so excited, and I just can’t hide it….”

  17. They do look like they were made for each other! Bravo! I love the black distressed look! Your story was too cute. I see you found picmonkey! Nice banners and frames. 😀

    1. Yes, thanks for the tip on that! Although, I’m so used to pixlr, I was pre-editing in pixlr…jumping over to picmonkey to add labels…then back to pixlr to add text. It was a bit overkill, and I probably need to just pick one and stick with it! Or get myself an inexpensive photo editing program. But it was fun to play around with it. There are so many great label options with picmonkey!

      1. Yeah, I found myself doing that with Picnic. I host my pictures on Google+ as it seems to have better quality than WordPress, so I found myself doing pre-edits in picnic, then going over to pixlr, then discovered the labels in picmonkey and went over there, but then was used to the text in picnic. Yeah… I started to just use picmonkey and get used to their editor and fonts. Haha!

        1. Never knew we could host pics elsewhere…you’ll have to tell me more! I, too, have noticed a downgrade in photo quality after uploading, and I didn’t know if that was on pixlr’s end or WordPress’s. Might be both!

          Bethany, you have educated me on so many little blogging topics. I’m so thankful to have you as my helper friend!

          1. Awwwww! You are my blogger buddy! You don’t even know how much I have learned from you. I’m so glad have a blogger friend that I can grow my blog with. HUGS!!!

  18. I’ve tried painting furniture and the paint always rubs of on stuff it shouldn’t rub off on. 🙁
    My guess: it’s because I have never put the top coat on!!! I use paint that would go on the wall also, is that bad???

    1. You can use wall paint on furniture, but it’s definitely more prone to chipping or “rubbing off” as you’ve found. If you do use wall paint, definitely sand and prime first…then use a finish. 😉 Hope that helps, Lori!

      1. Thank You!! We painted a 2*4 bunk-bed we made and the poor baby dolls all had “blue” cheeks and hair from that darn paint!!

  19. Wow! Just wow! The table and chairs were definitely meant to be! You guys did such a wonderful job! We’re looking to refinish our coffee table, and this process is definitely in the running for sure! And I really enjoyed the story board at the top, so stinkin’ cute!

    1. Thanks, Audra! Can’t wait to see what you do with your coffee table. There are so many great ideas out there for refinishing…and what an honor that this one is in the running. Ha ha, glad you enjoyed the storyboard. It was a DELIGHT to put together!

  20. What a fun post! The table looks great, especially with your chairs! And I would be lying if I didn’t immediately picture Jessie Spano singing “I’m So Excited” on ‘Saved By The Bell’ when you mentioned the song!

    1. Thanks, Cindy! When those chairs popped up on Craigslist, we snatched ’em up within a few hours. And I’m so glad we did. They fit our style and our space perfectly…and they’re durable for the long haul. At least, that’s the plan!

  21. You two did a fabulous job! The distressing is lovely and it really looks good with the wood floors too. Very rich! I have yet to complete a furniture makeover. My well-meaning family has restricted me from using power tools for I have a history of clumsiness and I believe my husband fears he will come home to find a half-finished table and 3 small children covered in paint/stain with no mama anywhere in sight. So for now I shall just enjoy your furniture makeovers!

    One piece of advice: could you please consider using a little more drama or visual aids in your storytelling? (said no one ever!) Loved your story and the adorable little pictures of the girl and her chairs!

    1. You had me chuckling with the image of chaos that you described with “no mama anywhere in sight.” I can be clumsy, too…but more of the bumping into things kinda way. Still, Mark is the master of all things power-tool, so he gladly takes on the handy-man projects I throw his way. 🙂

      Ha ha. And your last piece of advice reminds me of one of my favorite Pinterest memes. “I went to Target, but really couldn’t find anything I wanted,” said no one ever.

      Glad you enjoyed my drama and visual aid! I had WAY too much fun with it.

        1. Ha ha, I know it, Jessica! I’m actually planning a Target run tomorrow and need make sure to exercise restraint. The only trouble is that I have a giftcard. It’s oh so hard to show restraint with a giftcard in hand!

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